Sunday 23 January 2011

Blogger Without A Cause

I'm approaching 500 blog posts. That's crazy. Where have I found the energy to write 500 blog articles in under two years? Is that creativity or just mindless productivity? I think I am driven by the feeling that my previous blog article wasn't good enough. I always want to do better. But then, that motivation silences me as often as it encourages me.

When I don't feel pressure, I write comedy. When I do feel pressure I write advice or motivational stuff. Next time you see me giving screenwriting tips or endorsing positive thinking, you'll realise they're mainly for my own benefit.

You're 'on' or 'off' when you write. Sometimes you're 'off' for three months but you still blog through it and hope no-one will notice. But when you're on it's easy; every post is a blast and everyone gives you awards. When it's tough, a single comment from a bitter or jealous or angry reader will floor you for a week. And it's just a blog!! But as a writer, no writing you do is 'just' anything, it's all important. That means a constant state of heightened awareness. Or vulnerability. You all hold the power to make or break a blogger's heart just by the type of comment you make.

When I write a screenplay, the judgement is held off for a couple of years until someone walks out of the cinema muttering about wasted time. But with the internet, it's instantaneous.

Approaching 500 posts, I can't pretend this is meaningless or all for fun. If it was about fun I'd just go ice skating. So what does it all mean? Why am I here writing all the time? Can a person be relevant or interesting when they write so much? Who is reading, and why?

I feel like readers stick around because once in every twenty five articles I write, I nail something that resonates with them. I guess that's worth it, because most of my life I'm looking for writing, films, people and music that resonates with me; and I know how impossible that is. It's all too easy to go two years without finding a song that means something to you. So I'm glad when anyone gets anything from this blog.

So, the 500th will be coming soon. Order the cake.


Care to share?

7 comments:

  1. Awesome on getting to 500! I've been at this just over a year and will hit my 800th blog post this week. Yeah... I have too much free time :(

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  2. What a coincidence. I'll be 500 posts in under two years too. I'll be hitting 500 by next week.

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  3. 500 coming on baby! My mom tells quality is more important than quantity, I'm telling that 500 blogposts of quality and quantity combined is just insane and so you are insane!!!!!!!!

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  4. CAKE OR DEATH! (please tell me you're an Eddie Izzard fan so I don't sound too creepy with that quote.)

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  5. 500 posts is exciting! And this was a really well written post, I enjoyed it. So keep it up.

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  6. Even in normal, non-creative work, people are judged every day without consideration of how awesome they were yesterday. What you wrote here definitely does resonate - so write another 500!

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  7. Congratulations, Kid. Hope the cake's my favorite chocolate raspberry vegan. My 100th post will be tomorrow, so my spirit is with you even more than it would otherwise have been! On we go....

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